STATE : Whale Beached in S.F. Bay

SAN FRANCISCO — A humpback whale was found beached on mud flats south of Candlestick Park today, snarling traffic as commuters on a bayside freeway slowed to watch the stranded creature, authorities said.

Marine biologists were trying to learn why the whale was stuck in three feet of water near the edge of San Francisco Bay, about half a mile south of the stadium. The whale may have been the same one seen swimming in the bay south of Candlestick on Sunday.

The Coast Guard said it was sending out two boats with biologists from the Marine Mammal Center and National Marine Fisheries Service to see if they could help the whale.